Religion

Pakistan: Couple stoned to death for adultery

Ghalanai, 2 April(AKI/DAWN) - A man and a woman have been stoned to death by militants inPakistan's north-west border region after an Islamic 'qazi' court found them guilty of adultery.

A qazi court is an Islamic court, parallel to the Pakistani judicial system.

According to the Pakistani daily, Dawn, this is the first incident of stoning carried out in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the border of Afghanistan.

In the past, couples found guilty of adultery by militants or tribesmen were executed by firing squads.

The woman, identified as Shano, had allegedly eloped with Daulat Khan Malikdeenkhel on 15 March.

Quoting Dr. Asad, a spokesman for the militants, Dawn said that Shano was a married woman living in Peshawar’s Deen Bahar colony.

He said a complaint had been received from her family that she had been abducted by Daulat Khan. But later it was reported that she had ran away with him.

He said that some members of the Taliban captured them when they were returning from Karachi.

He said the qazi court found the couple guilty of adultery and sentenced them to death by stoning and the sentence was carried out on Monday in Khwaezai-Baezai, 40 kilometres west of the Mohmand Agency’s headquarters Ghalanai.

Dawn said the body of the woman was laid to rest in the same area by local people. The man’s body was taken to the hospital and handed over to his relatives.